The Supreme Court of India has stayed a Lokpal order that allowed complaints to be filed against a sitting high court judge. The court termed the order "something very, very disturbing" and a concern for the independence of the judiciary. The bench issued notices to the Centre, the Lokpal registrar, and the complainant, directing them to keep the identity of the judge confidential. The court will hear the matter again on March 18.
Lokayutka of Karnataka Justice Santosh Hegde said that the proposal made by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to give suo motu powers to the Lokayukta to investigate all public servants except the chief minister, ministers, legislators and public servants nominated by the government, neither makes him happy nor sad.
The situation remained tense but peaceful during the day, amid heavy police deployment in the area.
The Election Commission of India has released detailed statistical data from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, revealing a record voter turnout of 64.64 crore, with women outnumbering men. The data also highlights the participation of women candidates and the use of postal ballots, along with insights into overseas Indian electors.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday expunged the observations made by a single judge bench of the Punjab and Haryana high court against the apex court in a contempt case, saying they were "scandalous" and "unwarranted".
Tension mounted in the hills of Manipur after the May 4 video surfaced on Wednesday showing two women from one of the warring communities being paraded naked by a group of men from the other side.
The owner and manager of Rituraj Hotel in Kolkata have been arrested following a devastating fire that killed 14 people. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has ordered surprise checks of all establishments in the city to ensure fire safety compliance, after the tragedy highlighted serious violations at the hotel. The hotel has been sealed and special committees will be formed to monitor and identify establishments flouting fire safety norms.
The Supreme Court of India reserved its judgment on Tuesday in a case concerning the termination of two female judicial officers by the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The court had previously stated that judges should avoid social media and expressing opinions on judgments, emphasizing a "hermit life" and "work like a horse" approach. The case involves six women civil judges who were terminated for alleged unsatisfactory performance. Four were subsequently reinstated, but two, Aditi Kumar Sharma and Sarita Chaudhary, remained terminated. The court is considering the cases of these two judges, who joined the Madhya Pradesh judicial service in 2018 and 2017, respectively. The court is also considering arguments regarding potential violations of fundamental rights related to the termination process, including claims of unfair work assessment during maternity and child care leave.
Sub-divisional magistrate of Meerganj tehsil in Bareilly has been removed from his post after a video surfaced in which he is purportedly seen to have asked a man to squat in his office as a punishment.
The Calcutta high court on Wednesday directed that Trinamool Congress leader Shajahan Sheikh, the main accused in alleged sexual atrocities on women and land grabbing at Sandeshkhali, can be arrested by the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or the West Bengal police.
"Not a single woman (from Sandeshkhali) has lodged any FIR. It was me who directed the police to lodge a suo motu case. Our block president has been arrested," she said.
IPL matches in Bengaluru under NGT scanner
The court issued notices to the state government and local authorities and also sought a status report in the matter by November 14.
Mahmudabad, head of the political science department at the private university, was arrested on Sunday after two FIRs were lodged on stringent charges, including endangering sovereignty and integrity, for his social media posts related to Operation Sindoor, police and his lawyer said.
Ashoka Univeristy associate professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad has been arrested for his social media post on Operation Sindoor, police said in Sonipat on Sunday.
Khan is seen putting pressure on women contestants to perform intimate acts on camera in the clip. The conversation also appears to make some of the participants uncomfortable with probing, personal questions bordering on the vulgar.
According to an official, the march took a different turn in the town instead of going towards KB Road as permitted, and it led to a "chaotic situation" in the area.
'The Election Commission is conducting the National Register of Citizens in Bihar through the backdoor.'
Justice Jay Sengupta directed that the probe will be monitored by it and the SIT will file a progress report of the investigation on February 12, the next date of hearing in the case.
The Supreme Court of India will examine the jurisdiction of the Lokpal, India's anti-corruption ombudsman, in entertaining complaints against sitting high court judges. The court is considering a suo motu proceeding initiated over the Lokpal's January 27 order on the issue. The case involves two complaints filed against a sitting additional judge of a high court, alleging that he influenced a judge of the subordinate judiciary and a judge of the same high court set to deal with a suit filed against the complainant by a private company.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar has called upon the West Bengal government to "act urgently" to address the grievances of the riot-hit people of Murshidabad district, particularly women. Rahatkar, who visited the riot-affected areas in Murshidabad and Malda over the weekend, said the commission is preparing a report which will be submitted soon to the Centre with copies to top state officials. The report will incorporate the views of women who narrated their ordeal during the violence, including demands for a Border Security Force (BSF) camp in the affected area. Rahatkar also expressed concern about the lack of action by the State Women's Commission in visiting the affected areas.
The National Investigation Agency Saturday arrested a second accused linked to the case of a transnational conspiracy by Myanmar and Bangladesh-based leadership of terror outfits to wage war against India by exploiting the current ethnic strife in Manipur, an official said.
The committee said that the girl was a minor as per the class 10 board examination mark sheet and not an adult as claimed by the police.
Opposition leaders on Monday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his comments made at an elections rally in Rajasthan, with some leaders also appealing to people to reach out to the Election Commission of India.
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed an interim order passed by Madras high court controversial judge Justice C S Karnan
The high court had passed the order on May 23 while hearing the bail plea of the man accused of raping the woman on the false promise of marriage.
The Delhi High Court Thursday took suo motu cognizance of the Rohini Court shootout that left three dead and said there was a need for proper and effective deployment of a sufficient number of police personnel in courts.
The National Human Rights Commission sought a report from the Tamil Nadu government.
The Supreme Court of India has criticized the Madhya Pradesh High Court's decision to sack a woman judge due to performance concerns, without considering the impact of a miscarriage on her ability to work. The court questioned the lack of similar criteria for male judges and highlighted the mental and physical trauma associated with a miscarriage. The case involves six women civil judges who were terminated by the state government over alleged unsatisfactory performance. While the high court reinstated four judges, the fate of the other two, including the judge who suffered a miscarriage, remains uncertain. The Supreme Court has issued notices to the high court registry and the judicial officers involved, seeking clarification on the termination criteria and emphasizing the importance of considering factors beyond quantitative performance assessments.
The notification came days after the Bombay high court declined to restrain the Centre from notifying the unit. The petition was filed by stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and the Editors Guild of India.
Under the title of "legal enforcement", states and Union Territories were directed to appoint officers solely responsible for discharging the functions of Child Marriage Prohibition Officers at the district level.
The Assam police suo motu registered the FIR against Gandhi and several other leaders for "wanton acts of violence" here during the party's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' on Tuesday.
BCCI banned the display of fireworks during the World Cup games in Delhi and Mumbai due to worsening air quality.
It is just a question of providing an additional facility to the taxpayer that if he is not quoting PAN and only has Aadhaar, his filing and processes do not get affected, said CBDT chief.
More than a month before the horrific video of two women being assaulted publicly in Manipur went viral, activists had informed the National Commission for Women about not only this case but other brutal instances of rape as well, besides incidents of kidnapping, lynching, immolation and even murder in the strife-torn state.
In the wake of deaths of several patients at government-run hospitals at Nanded and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in a short span, Maharashtra minister Hasan Mushrif on Thursday said positive changes will be brought in the functioning of the state-run medical facilities in four months.
The National Human Rights Commission in a statement said the allegations raise a serious issue of violation of human rights and also restriction on the freedom of the press.
The Calcutta high court on Monday directed the police to arrest Trinamool Congress leader Shajahan Sheikh, who has been accused of sexual atrocities and land grab by villagers in Sandeshkhali area, while clarifying there is no stay on it.
The bench noted that the special investigation team was formed as the local police did not probe the case properly, and "there was a strong outburst of the common man."
